This invention is directed to a jet apparatus for forwarding tows, yarns, rovings or like yarn bundles by means of a gasiform stream flow, and particularly to a jet apparatus for forwarding a multi-filament tow along a desired path, as for forwarding or pulling tow into a box, baler or can.
In the textile industry it is common to collect multi-filament yarn tow in cans for subsequent withdrawal from a series of such cans to join together and form a larger tow for suitable processing, such as for the processing operations of drafting, crimping, and cutting into staple fibre.
The spinning of such multi-filament tows from suitable polymers occur from spinning cabinets, which are often on one floor, while the various spinning cabinet "ends" or yarn ends from a row of such cabinets are collected together and puddled into a collecting receptacle located on a lower floor, such as a "can" for later withdrawal for the purpose previously indicated.
The processing speed at which the various spinning cabinets may extrude filaments is determined by a number of factors. Obviously, however, any one obstacle or retarding agency along the line will necessarily govern the actual speed at which the spinning cabinets are operated, despite their possible potential for greater extrusion rates.
One possible obstacle can be the apparatus employed to puddle the collected cabinet yarn ends into a can. The Morehead et al patent, U.S. Pat. No. 3,281,913, discloses a jet puddling apparatus which is employed to puddle such collected spinning cabinet yarns ends into a rectangular container or what will hereinafter be referred to as a "can". This patent was selected because of its illustrated disclosure of a series of spinning cabinets, with the cabinet yarn ends being conjoined for travel over a feed roll to a jet puddler apparatus. The jet puddler apparatus, in turn, is connected to a traverse mechanism by which the tow is caused to be deposited in the rectangular can in longitudinal and transverse motions.
One problem often encountered with the use of a traverse mechanism, such as the one shown in the Morehead et al patent, is the possibility of the tow undesirably becoming wrapped around the feed or puddler roll, necessitating a shut-down of the tow processing equipment until the roll wrap can be removed. The roll wrap is often caused by the loss of tension on the tow at the feed or puddler roll. Since the feed or puddler rolls(s) is moving the tow at one rate of speed, when the traverse mechanism moves the puddler apparatus toward the extreme ends of its travel, a sharp snubbing angle is created by the tow at the inlet of the jet puddler apparatus. The tow being snubbed or rubbed against the jet puddler inlet is thus retarded in speed while the feed or puddler roll rate has not been similarly retarded. This, then, results in the tension loss because of a decrease in the tow pulling power of the jet puddler apparatus.
Another problem occurs as a consequence of the spinning cabinets being located on one floor and the tow cans being located on the lower floor or a lower level. The jet puddler apparatus and its traverse mechanism, such as the one shown in the Morehead et al patent, are also located on the lower level just above the can top. When it becomes necessary, for whatever reason, to rethread the tow into the jet puddler apparatus, the spinning floor operator must signal the operator on the lower floor so that the tow can be passed to the lower floor operator for the thread-up operation. Sometimes it may be several minutes before the lower floor operator can be reached. In the meantime, the spinning cabinets continue to operate at speeds in excess of 1000 meters per minute, with the result that the collected cabinet yarn ends must go to a waste receptacle until the thread-up operation can be achieved.
The present invention enables the spinning floor operator to thread the jet puddler apparatus himself, thus minimizing the amount of waste created, by moving the jet puddler apparatus up to an opening in the spinning room floor where the spinning floor operator can readily reach it.
The present invention also eliminates the necessity for use of an involved traverse mechanism, such as the one shown in the Morehead et al apparatus, by adapting the jet puddler apparatus to oscillate in such compound directions as to form complete tow bed layers in the can. The sharp break or snubbing angle is thus significantly reduced to minimize any possible loss of tension and hence possible reduction in the pulling power of the jet puddler apparatus.
Oscillating puddling apparatus is not new, as they have been used before. In moving the jet puddler apparatus to a position higher above the can, the tow has a greater distance to travel, and to overcome the effect of gravity the gasiform stream flow used to entrain the tow through the jet puddler apparatus must be increased in order to assure that the tow layers extend to all sides of the can. A problem with increased stream flow is that the gas, usually air, tends to spread the filaments of the tow outwardly from each other, so that they tend to splash and bounce about in the can upon contact with the previously puddled layers. This will tend to create a withdrawal problem later when an attempt is made to remove the tow in an orderly manner for subsequent processing. Another problem associated with increased gasiform stream flow pressure is that the tow being puddled tends to be driven toward the previously puddled tow layers below with such force as to cause inter-filament penetration of one layer with another. This also creates a withdrawal problem.
The present invention minimizes this problem by puddling the tow in an entangled manner so as to maintain a relatively cohesively formed bundle of multi-filaments, and at the same time reduces the amount of excess gas, such as air, in the can to minimize possible splashing and bouncing about of the tow layers being puddled.